In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester. What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements? How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes? What similarities, if any, did you see between the descriptions of American classes in the Teaching Gap and the Game of School? Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?
Observation:
While reading about the Game of School, I was surprised by how much it related to what I see every day in my placement at North Kingstown High School. Nearly every teacher wastes the first 10 minutes of class collecting homework, yelling at students who don't turn in their homework, turning students away and making them go get a pass if they are late, and assigning mindless busy work in the mean time. Each class is the same routine: a lecture followed by a worksheet, followed by a mindless step-by-step lab "investigation" and then finally, students are give 20 minutes to a half hour to "finish their lab" and talk to their friends. It seems to me that a lot of class time does not get used in an effective way, yet so many teachers complain of never having enough time to do meaningful activities with their students. The labs that students are given spell out each direction, and through the questions they ask, provide them with the conclusion they are supposed to come up with. There is no thinking involved on behalf of the students or the teacher. Tests are all multiple choice, based more on definition and memorization rather than application. This also involves no intellectual thought for neither the students nor the teachers. One way I've seen teachers fight the game of school is by utilizing the first 10-15 minutes of class effectively by putting a "starter question" on the board for students to work on while she takes care of attendance and homework. The questions she asks make students think about what they learned in the last class, or asks them to relate what they learn in the classroom to their life. I think this is a good use of those always-hectic first minutes of class because it engages students, and it actually forces them to use their brains to make connections.
Reflection:
The American schools described in The Teaching Gap, the Game of School described by Fried, and my experiences at my placement are all very similar. This reinforces the point made in The Teaching Gap that teaching is a cultural activity. It is very difficult to make changes to teaching and to education because in order to make a change, everything must be changed; it will not work if just a few elements are changed. It seems that the attitude of many teachers I have encountered is "I can't make a difference on my own, so why try harder?" This also coincides with The Game of School where teachers have the mindset that they will get paid the same, whether they do the bare minimum or of they go the extra mile for their students. I think it is important to be aware of this "Game of School" and to keep it in mind when planning lessons and conducting classes. As part of my teaching philosophy I feel very strongly about students becoming active in their own learning and learning skills that will help them thoughout their lives. In order to help my students reach this goal, I must be aware of the Game of School and how it allpys to both teachers and to students. It is important for students to feel like what their learning is worthwile and relevent to their lives, otherwise they won't care and they will do the bare minimum to just get though it. As a teacher, I have to keep in mind that if I want my students to produce quality work, I must put forth more effort and give them quality instruction and quality assignments.
Observation / Reflection #5: The Game of School
In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester. What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements? How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes? What similarities, if any, did you see between the descriptions of American classes in the Teaching Gap and the Game of School? Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy?Observation:
While reading about the Game of School, I was surprised by how much it related to what I see every day in my placement at North Kingstown High School. Nearly every teacher wastes the first 10 minutes of class collecting homework, yelling at students who don't turn in their homework, turning students away and making them go get a pass if they are late, and assigning mindless busy work in the mean time. Each class is the same routine: a lecture followed by a worksheet, followed by a mindless step-by-step lab "investigation" and then finally, students are give 20 minutes to a half hour to "finish their lab" and talk to their friends. It seems to me that a lot of class time does not get used in an effective way, yet so many teachers complain of never having enough time to do meaningful activities with their students. The labs that students are given spell out each direction, and through the questions they ask, provide them with the conclusion they are supposed to come up with. There is no thinking involved on behalf of the students or the teacher. Tests are all multiple choice, based more on definition and memorization rather than application. This also involves no intellectual thought for neither the students nor the teachers. One way I've seen teachers fight the game of school is by utilizing the first 10-15 minutes of class effectively by putting a "starter question" on the board for students to work on while she takes care of attendance and homework. The questions she asks make students think about what they learned in the last class, or asks them to relate what they learn in the classroom to their life. I think this is a good use of those always-hectic first minutes of class because it engages students, and it actually forces them to use their brains to make connections.
Reflection:
The American schools described in The Teaching Gap, the Game of School described by Fried, and my experiences at my placement are all very similar. This reinforces the point made in The Teaching Gap that teaching is a cultural activity. It is very difficult to make changes to teaching and to education because in order to make a change, everything must be changed; it will not work if just a few elements are changed. It seems that the attitude of many teachers I have encountered is "I can't make a difference on my own, so why try harder?" This also coincides with The Game of School where teachers have the mindset that they will get paid the same, whether they do the bare minimum or of they go the extra mile for their students. I think it is important to be aware of this "Game of School" and to keep it in mind when planning lessons and conducting classes. As part of my teaching philosophy I feel very strongly about students becoming active in their own learning and learning skills that will help them thoughout their lives. In order to help my students reach this goal, I must be aware of the Game of School and how it allpys to both teachers and to students. It is important for students to feel like what their learning is worthwile and relevent to their lives, otherwise they won't care and they will do the bare minimum to just get though it. As a teacher, I have to keep in mind that if I want my students to produce quality work, I must put forth more effort and give them quality instruction and quality assignments.